


Worth It

by still_lycoris



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Established Relationship, Love, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Trick or Treat: Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-19 23:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: It's almost time for Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters to reopen but that doesn't come without a price.





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [citrinesunset](https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrinesunset/gifts).



“Do you think people will know?”

Hank’s question came rather out of the blue, as far as Charles was concerned. They’d both been reading in pleasant silence and although Hank was thinking a lot, it had all felt like warm background noise and Charles hadn’t really been listening to it – except to enjoy the familiarity of hearing it. Something about the way Hank was talking made it sound like this was more serious than that random thoughts.

“Know what?” he asked, automatically dipping into Hank’s mind as he asked. Hank’s thoughts were all faintly uneasy ones and he had obviously been fretting for a little while, although there was very little there that made absolute sense. It was all vague on the surface and Charles didn’t want to go too deeply. There was a certain degree of mind reading that Hank found acceptable and Charles tried never to go past it. He’d broken so many rules during the start of their relationship, it seemed even more important to try and stick to them now.

“About us,” Hank said.

Charles paused before answering. It wasn’t exactly an unreasonable worry. When he and Hank had begun their relationship, it had been in a haze of alcohol and loneliness. There had been no need to worry about legality or the opinions of others because there _were_ no others. They were alone and as far as Charles’s depression-addled brain had been concerned, that would always be true.

Now, that was no longer true. For weeks, the house had been filled with people cleaning and polishing, rebuilding and restructuring. In a few days, they would be interviewing parents, convincing them that Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters was the best place for them to send their children. They would be studied, judged, have expectations placed upon them. And then that they would be living with teachers and children ... hopefully lots of children. Children who would be observant and intelligent and potentially even have telepathic powers of their own.

Privacy as they’d known it would probably become a thing of the past.

“There’s no reason anybody should know,” he said quietly. “Two men running a school together is hardly suspect. You are simply an extremely intelligent early student of mine who agrees with my ideals and wanted to help me expand on them. People don’t tend to look for things that they see no reason to look for. Most men who work together are just friends. That’s what they’ll think we are too.”

Hank looked a little uncertain, which wasn’t a surprise. He was so used to worrying about things, always sure that people were looking at him, judging him. Such long rooted fears were hard to shake off. It did make Charles wonder if he ought to have thought of this before though. He had been so confident that nobody would notice ... but Hank was right, if people ever did realise, they wouldn’t approve. It could potentially spoil the school as well as their reputations. Charles couldn’t say he cared all that much, not now, but for Hank ...

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. “I mean ... we could always – ”

“No,” Hank interrupted firmly. “I don’t want ... I want _you._ More than anything else. I don’t care about ... other things.”

He had turned pink and wasn’t quite looking at Charles as he said it but his mind had gone sharp and clear. All Charles could read there right now was warmth and love and determination. Knowledge that some things were worth losing to keep others.

Charles didn’t say anything else. But he moved to Hank’s side and took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Hank squeezed back and smiled that lovely smile of his, the one he saved for Charles alone.

“I love you,” Charles told him quietly and Hank’s cheeks turned pinker, then took on the faintly blue hue that sometimes developed when he was thinking about taking Charles to bed.

 _Yes_ Charles told him and then _We should probably make the most of these last quiet nights. Shall we see who can be the loudest?_

“I’ll win,” Hank said and his voice was a delightful growl.

“Let’s see, shall we?” Charles said, unable to stop himself from grinning and then reached out his arms and let Hank scoop him up and take him away.


End file.
